Freedom is a word that comes up a lot with Elon Musk.
The billionaire is almost the cornerstone of his actions and initiatives.
It is in the name of free speech, which is derived from freedom, he said that he acquired the social network Twitter, which he defines as the square of our town, for $44 billion.
“Since Twitter serves as the de facto public town square, failing to adhere to the principles of free speech undermines democracy. What should be done?” he asked last March.
A few days later he started buying shares of Twitter and made a takeover bid in the process.
‘No House Will Own’
It’s also in the name of free speech that the serial entrepreneur decided on a general armistice on Twitter by reactivating most of the accounts banned by Twitter 1.0, including former President Donald Trump’s accounts for violating the internal policy against xenophobia, violence, racism, anti-Semitism and the spread of disinformation.
Furthermore, freedom is at the heart of his ambition to colonize the planet Mars.
“When you start a Mars 1 colony @elonmusk, what documents would you suggest using to establish a system of governance? US Constitution / Bill of Rights? Universal Declaration of Human Rights? Humanist Manifesto? Atlas Shrugged? Against of the State: An Anarcho-Capital Manifesto ?” publisher Michael Shermer asked him in June 2018.
“Democracy directly by the people,” replied the billionaire. “Laws must be short, because everything is treacherous. Rules automatically expire to prevent death through bureaucracy. 40% of the people can remove any rule to overcome inertia. Freedom.”
CEO of Tesla (TSLA)- Get a Free Report and SpaceX justified its decision in 2020 to sell all its physical assets in the name of freedom.
“I am selling almost all physical possessions. I will have no home,” Must tweeted on May 1, 2020.
He said a few hours later: “Freedom.”
The billionaire therefore believes that freedom is the alpha and the omega. It must guide our actions as well as the actions of our elected officials and those who govern us.
No wonder then that he has just declared that people should be able to die in the name of freedom whenever they want.
There is a risk that this comment will cause a lot of controversy because it also relates to the topic of suicide and euthanasia, which is considered illegal in many countries around the world.
Euthanasia also provokes an ethical debate among experts.
‘When You’re Sure You Want It’
It all started with a Twitter thread by podcaster Lex Fridman complaining about seeing good things come to an abrupt end.
“I hate that everything has to end terribly,” Fridman wrote on January 20. “I want it to last forever.”
Musk seems to disagree. For example, he considers being eternal one of the two worst curses.
“Two of the worst possible curses: you will live forever (and) you can be anything you want,” said the serial entrepreneur.
The comment prompted tweets about rights and death. It was in this context that a Twitter user directly asked Musk if people had to choose when they would die. Musk’s answer was clear. It draws on his approach to freedom.
“Do you think people should be able to make a choice when they die?” asked billionaire physician and entrepreneur Peter H. Diamandis.
“Indeed,” replied the tech tycoon. “Freedom means freedom to die when you are sure you want it.”
Unsurprisingly, the comment caused strong reactions on Twitter. If some users saw Musk’s position as asserting individual freedoms, other users strongly disagreed in the name of faith.
“It is a shame that our country does not allow sick and dying people to end their lives with dignity. No one should have to suffer another disease through the final stages of cancer for no reason,” a said one Twitter user.
“We can’t play with God,” said another user.
But other users were concerned about the “certainty” Musk mentioned.
“What does “definitely” mean?” asked one Twitter user.
“I second you, but on second thought, how can you be sure it’s the right time?” added another user.
“How can you be sure?” said another user.
Musk’s position revived the debate on various issues related to individual rights and death. Of course there is the question of suicide, assisted suicide and finally the great debate on euthanasia.
Human Euthanasia is illegal in most states in the US As of June 2021, the only jurisdictions that allow this procedure are Oregon, Washington, DC, Hawaii, Washington, Maine, Colorado, New Jersey, California and Vermont, according to Cornell Law School.
